Dr. Wohltmann and medical staff volunteers at Camp Dermadillo in August 2009.

Dr. Wohltmann after providing treatment in Suriname in 2011.

Dr. Wohltmann after providing treatment in Suriname in 2011.

By John Carruthers, staff writer, March 01, 2013

Air Force dermatologist Wendi Wohltmann, MD, has treated wounded soldiers and helped run humanitarian efforts abroad with different branches of the United States armed forces. Yet in the interim, she has found time to mentor college students, volunteer with Dermatology in Action, and spend a week each year devoting her time to Camp Discovery.

"Being able to provide care to less fortunate people in other countries is my favorite part of the job. I just re-upped for four more years because I love the work I'm doing so much."

Currently stationed at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, Dr. Wohltmann sees troops evacuated from the Middle East and Africa, all of whom come through the center. Troops evacuated from combat areas, she said, tend to have acute issues such as severe burns and tissue damage from improvised explosive devices. She also served two deployments in Iraq as a flight surgeon.

A significant benefit to her job, Dr. Wohltmann said, is that every year or so, she goes on a humanitarian mission to help the less fortunate in severely underserved areas. In the past three years, she has visited Peru, Suriname, and Mauritania.

When not deployed, Dr. Wohltmann mentors college students interested in medicine, allowing them to rotate through various hospitals with her. Without quality mentors of her own, she said, she may never have ended up in the career she loves.

Dr. Wohltmann is also passionate about volunteering at Camp Discovery, scheduling a week off every summer for it. She has served as both medical staff and a counselor.

“I’ve been able to have a lot of wonderful experiences volunteering. I work with Health Volunteers Overseas, I’m on the dermatology steering committee, and I’ve been able to give dermatologic care all over the world,” she said. “My experience in the military has enabled a lot of what I’ve been able to do in my career.”